Luggage carrier for automobiles



Mar. 27, 1923.'

`J5 ZILLLOX. LUGGAGE CARRIER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

FILED N0 V.1, i920.

"www" M/@ Patented Mar. Z7, i923..

rar-:sur oi-irrita.

JOHN' ZILLIOX, 0F ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK.

LUGGAGE CARRIER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application led November l, 1920. Serial No. 420,948.

T ail whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ZILLioX, a citizen of the United States, residing in Orchard Park, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Luggage Carriers for Alu? which may be imposed upon any one part` of the carrier to other parts of the carrier and to facilitate and make more convenient the stowage `of the removable part of the luggage carrier. l y p In the accompany-ing drawings: vFigure l is'a perspective view of the complete luggage carrier as applied to an automobile running board and ready for use. Figure 2 is an en- Y larged vertical y transverse section through` the luggage carrier taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal section through the lug-` gage 'carrier taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the clamps with itsappurtenances. n p u Similar characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

ln Fig. 1 is indicated by dotted lines a typical automobile 10 which is provided with the customary running board llto which the present invention is attached. Each one ofa plurality of clamps 12 is detachably secured to the said running board 11 of the automobile by means of ya clamping screw 13 whose external screw thread engages with a suitable internally threaded or tapped hole in the lower,sho`rt arm 14 of each clamp. The upL per arm 15 of each clamp is curved or arched convexly upwardly and is considerably longer than thelower arm 14 of the clamp, so that a two point bearing of the upper arm 15` upon the top surface of the running board is obtained, the outermost bearing point being closely adjacent to the outer edge of the running board l1 `while the inner bearing point lis at theextreme inner end of said.

curved arm 15. The point at which the upper endof the Vclamping screw 13 bears against the lower surface of the said running board is (as best shown in F ig. 2) a point which is intermediate of the two points at which the upper arm 15 bears against theupper face of said running board. rlhis provides a construction which resists fvery ye'ifectually any tendency to laterallyniove the clamp yout of position on the running board, by reason of the fact that ya considerable `pressure is present at the extreme inner end ofv said4 upper arm 15 and said preure creates a conside`r` able frictional resistance. The theoretical leverage or lever arm of this 'frietional resistance is very large witherespect to any possible axis of rotation'of theclampfas a whole, which axis wouldkr of necessity have to be located at the outer end ofthe clamp.'

It should be also noted that the upward pressure of the clamping 'screw y13 causes a fieXu-re of the upper arm 15 of the clamp so that said clamp is caused to retain itsiirin grasp on the running board of the automobile, even though Isaid running board lbe considerably warped or distorted or the clamp itself be forcibly displaced by reasony of a very heavyexternal pressure or blow. Itis obvious therefore that these clamps l2 may u be made a permanent fixture of the running board, this being feasible and practical because ofthe impossibility of accidentally displacing the clamps and also because, when in place, the onlyparts of the clamps which are visible are the upper yarms land these do not detract fromk the appearance of the means of holding down the ends `of hemp or corrugated metal' foot scrapers, with which many automobiles are now provided so as to keep the interior of the car neat and clean and free from mud and dirt. Considfoar; in fact the clamps yare a very convenient ering `the clamps as the relatively ,stationary i Aand permanent portions of the improved luggage carrier, we `will now take 11p/the portable portion thereof. 'p

An upright bifurcated standard 16I constructed of ordinary stock, bar metal is adapted to be dropped into place at the outer end of each ofthe clamps 12, the connection being effected by means of a longitudinal slot 17 extending centrally upwardly from the extreme lower end of each standard, said slot being adapted to receive the opposite sides of astud or neck 19 which extends horizontally voutwardly from and is secured to the companion clamp 12. rlhe inner Aface of each standard bears against the fiat outer face of its companion clamp 12 and is thereby restrained against inward displacement relatively thereto, the outer face of said standard engaging with a washer or otherwise enlarged -head 20 which is formed at the outer end of the neck 19. Each standard is restrained against tipping or bending outwardly by means of a chain or other tension mem ber 21 whose` upper end is connected to a hook 22 in the upper end of the companion standard 16, while the lower end of the chain v is detachably connected to a hook 23 at the extreme inner end of the curved arm 15- of the 'companion clamp. It is obvious that if this chain should become slack forany reason, the same may be unhooked at its lower end, and the companion standard 16 then vpressed inwardly and any desired other link t which is further removed from the end of lthe chain is thenengaged with the saidhook 23. It should be noted ,that the connection between each standard 16 and its companion .clamp 12 substantially` amounts to a pivotal connection, so that any tendency to tip the standard in aivertical plane kparallel to the running-board 11 does not tend to likewise rock the companion clamp so that such a.

strain does not tend to loosen the said clamp relativelyto the running board 11, to which l it is assumed to be permanently attached Disposed in-.arvertical plane above the outery longitudinal edge -of said running board 11 is a'geometrically associated' group of levers which maybe collectively termed a lazyftong or lattice-work luggage retainer` 2t Certain of the lowermost pivots 25 of this luggage retainer not only pivotally-connectV together` the lower ends ,of 'companion pairs oflevers of said luggageretainer, but arealso pivotally ,connected to the lower Y rparts of the standards 16. The intermediate `pivots 26 of said luggage retainer 24E are not,` it will be noticed, connected to said The uppermost pivots` 250v of of companion levers ofsaid luggage retuinen. The outermost pair and also the central pivot of said upper pivots 250 are somewhat longer than their companions and .i .extend outwardly and horizontally through slots 27 which are formed; longitudinally in the upper endsof the said standards, said elongated pivots being suitably headed at tzr-4991er their outer ends to prevent disengagement with the said standards. Each transverse pair'o upper and lower pivots 250 and 25 respectively atall times retain a position which is perpendicular to the principal axis of the said lattice-work, luggage retainer 241- of which they form a part, this being true irrespective of how much said luggage retaineris extended or collapsed. It is thus apparentthat any tendency to tilt any one of the standards 16 in a plane which is parallel tosaid luggage retainer, will be resisted bythe said luggage retainer acting in conjunction with ther other standardsl 16. It is furthermore apparent that the ksaid standards also are compelled at all times to retain a position parallel to each other. Thus when the luggage retainer, together with its standards, is removed as a unit from the relatively permanent clamps 12, the standards may be pressed together into very close juxtaposition with the luggage retainer, the significant feature of construction being that this collapsing operation is facilitated by reason of the fact that the standards are retained constantly in their parallel relationship during the collapsing operation. .Thus said operation can only take place in one single way and that is the right way, without any possible interference vbetween the luggage carrier and the stand ards, or between :the lstandards themselves, which are constrained to fold together compactly or snugly in a substantially automatic manner. Another feature 0f this improved construction, is that any l lateral twisting pressures on the said lattice-work luggage carrier-211 isv amply resisted inasmuch as it is connectedyat its extreme upper and its extreme lower edge to the` standards 16. Y,

A further advantage in the construction of this luggage carrier is that the same can be folded very compactly `for storage and transportation. y,

I claim as my invention:

1. A luggage carrier having a vclamp adaptedto be attached to an lautomobile and having a laterally projecting button provided with a reduced neck, and an enlarged head, and a standardihaving `an upright slot in its lower part which ext'endsto the lower end thereof and which is adapted to receive the neck of said button.

V2. A luggage carrier for automobiles comprising` a clamp adapted to be secured to the upper and lower sides of the running board of an automobile, a standard detachably connected to said clamp and removable from the .running board independently ofthe clamp, and a tension member connected at its upper end to said standard and` at its lower end tosaid clamp. t t

3. A luggage carrier for automobiles comprising a clamp provided with upper and lower arms, the upper arm thereof being 4. A luggage carrier for automobiles adapted to bear against the automobile atA comprising a clamp provided with a long, only two points, aelamping screw arranged oonvexly-eurved upper arm and a short `10 in the lower arm of said clamp and dishorizontal lower arm, aelamping screw arposed intermedately of the two points of ranged in said lower arm, and a standard Contact of said upper arm, and a standard connected to said clamp. connected with said clamp. JOHN ZILLIOX. 

